And Germany\u2019s foreign ministry, which has already warned nationals against travel to Iran, said in an advisory on its website Friday that \u201ctravel to Israel and East Jerusalem is urgently discouraged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t Poland\u2019s foreign ministry called on citizens to immediately leave Israel, Iran and Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe security situation in the Middle East is unstable. The risk of escalation is high! Airspace for civilian traffic may be closed. Return by air may be impossible or significantly hindered,\u201d it said in three X posts about the Middle Eastern countries.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Italy\u2019s foreign ministry urged citizens to leave Iran and advised extreme caution across the Middle East, citing persistently unstable security conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cItalians in (Iran) for tourism or whose presence is not strictly necessary are urged to depart,\u201d the ministry said in a statement, adding that travel to Iraq and Lebanon \u2014 both of which are home to powerful Iranian proxy groups \u2014 is also strongly discouraged. It also advised Italian nationals in Israel to exercise maximum caution and remain vigilant.<\/p>\n The warnings came as the US State Department on Friday authorized non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to \u201csafety risks,\u201d with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee telling embassy staff that if they want to leave Israel, they \u201cshould do so TODAY.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: US ambassador tells embassy staffers: If you want to leave Israel, \u2018do so TODAY\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack the Islamic Republic, first over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters last month and more recently over its refusal to halt its nuclear program.<\/p>\n \t He has ordered a large military buildup in the region, with US fighter jets deploying at an Israeli air base and USS Gerald R. Ford, the world\u2019s largest aircraft carrier, set to arrive off Israel\u2019s northern coast, near the port city of Haifa.<\/p>\n Israel is preparing for the possibility that it will be targeted in a retaliatory Iranian strike and find itself fighting alongside the US.<\/p>\n During the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June, the Islamic Republic launched over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel, killing 32 people and wounding over 3,000, according to health officials and hospitals.<\/p>\n In all, there were 36 missile impacts and one drone strike in populated areas, causing damage to 2,305 homes in 240 buildings, along with two universities and a hospital, and leaving over 13,000 Israelis displaced.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIsraelis watch the Mediterranean Sea from a lookout in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, waiting for the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier at the port of Haifa on February 27, 2026. (Jalaa MAREY \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260226__98ZL49E__v2__HighRes__TopshotGreeceUsIranDefenceDiplomacy-e1772218225189.jpg\")
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\n\t\tThe US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, dispatched to the region amid tensions with Iran, departs Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete on February 26, 2026. (Costas METAXAKIS \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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